The debut of Apple's latest smartphone on Friday has drawn huge crowds at Apple stores around the world, including a long, rain-soaked line at the company's flagship Fifth Avenue store.

Today the iPhone 4S launches in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., France, Germany and Japan. Stores have opened at 8 a.m. local time to begin selling the device, which features Siri voice recognition and a speedy dual-core A5 chip.

In the U.S., at Apple's flagship store in New York City, a long line braved poor weather to be among the first to get their hands on the iPhone 4S. AppleInsider reader Ryan sent along photos and video (below), and noted that the line wrapped around two sides of the block as of 7:30 a.m. For comparison, the iPhone 4 launch crowd was four sides of the block, though weather conditions were better.

The iPhone 4S is available in black and white, and in capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. It starts at $199 with a new two-year service contract in the U.S.

This year marks the first time a new iPhone will debut on three carriers in America. In addition to AT&T, which has carried the iPhone since 2007, the iPhone 4S is also available at launch on Verizon and Sprint.

Australians were the first in the world to buy the iPhone 4S at an Apple Store, and TechGuide was on hand in Sydney, where a large crowd was cheered on by Apple employees for the start of sales. Customers were handed cards to help them identify the color and capacity of the iPhone 4S model they planned to buy.

Many customers turn to waiting in line at retail stores to buy the iPhone 4S on launch day because online orders sell out quickly. Almost immediately, Apple sold out of its initial run of preorders, and customers hoping to get a handset on launch day were given a shipping estimate of one to two weeks.

Apple announced earlier this week that it set a new record by pre-selling one million iPhone 4S preorders on the first day. That topped the 600,000 preorders of the iPhone 4 sold in one day 2010.

Analysts expect the iPhone 4S to be a hot seller beyond this launch weekend, throughout the holiday buying season and over the next year. A set of recent predictions from Wall Street analysts called for 3 million sales on the launch weekend, and 25 million this year.

This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.

Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.

My wife and I and the kids went to Apple Store for the launch of Leopard. We all got free t-shirts and there was a lot of fun meeting other people and watching others at the mall wonder what kind of weird people we are. The Apple employees kept bringing water out and high fived and cheered us as they opened. Fun to do once. Waiting for UPS to bring me this one. (On the truck, out for delivery!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz

This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.

Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.

Where are the posts from those bozos who were here a week ago at the launch, telling us no one was going to buy this phone, and that Apple had made a fatal miscalculation? I suppose they are in line, hope to get their 4s.

It's more the experience of anticipation. It's fun in a way. U hang out with other fans n get that moment when it's in ur hands after waiting. U do appreciate the phone a little more than just a phone.

Where are the posts from those bozos who were here a week ago at the launch, telling us no one was going to buy this phone, and that Apple had made a fatal miscalculation? I suppose they are in line, hope to get their 4s.

It was a trick you see?! Their futile attempt was to eliminate long lines before their dash to the Apple stores!

It's more the experience of anticipation. It's fun in a way. U hang out with other fans n get that moment when it's in ur hands after waiting. U do appreciate the phone a little more than just a phone.

In the words of Anton Chigurh "Which it is"

"Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example" Mark Twain"Just because something is deemed the law doesn't make it just" - SolipsismX

AI please stop publishing these terrible lies - the analysts said that the iPhone 4S announcement was dissapointing and that Android would soon take over. So this story is obvsouly just that - a story. Its all hype and propoganda created to fuel the myth that people actually WANT to buy an inferior product just because the media says "Apple is Cool" Clearly the Analysts are the only ones strong-willed enough to see through the Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field - and now that he has been struck down he has become more powerful than you shall ever know. So please just saves us all the time and trouble and get back to the reports where the analysts tell us how the world REALLY works so that we stop being duped.

Huh, what's that you say? turns out the analysts were wrong AGAIN, who'da thunk it?

It's more the experience of anticipation. It's fun in a way. U hang out with other fans n get that moment when it's in ur hands after waiting. U do appreciate the phone a little more than just a phone.

I did the line-waiting for the iPad 2. It was worth it for the experience. Not sure I would do it again, though. I have an iPhone and an iPad. I can wait the extra time for delivery. On the other hand, I might do it for the next new iDevice I don't think I can live without.

AI please stop publishing these terrible lies - the analysts said that the iPhone 4S announcement was dissapointing and that Android would soon take over. So this story is obvsouly just that - a story. Its all hype and propoganda created to fuel the myth that people actually WANT to buy an inferior product just because the media says "Apple is Cool" Clearly the Analysts are the only ones strong-willed enough to see through the Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field - and now that he has been struck down he has become more powerful than you shall ever know. So please just saves us all the time and trouble and get back to the reports where the analysts tell us how the world REALLY works so that we stop being duped.

Huh, what's that you say? turns out the analysts were wrong AGAIN, who'da thunk it?

I used to think meteorologists had the market cornered on being wrong. Who actually listens to analysts, anyway--besides the people that just make fun of them.

This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.

Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.

Got mine! Great phone but disappointed that a lot of the Siri functionality isn't available in the UK yet.

UPS have just dropped mine off too. 3 very kindly cut my sim down to size but I will have to wait until I've finished work before I can have a proper play. Siri did answer the first couple of things I asked it though.

This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.

Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.

But yea...in other news...water is wet -_- lol

And what do you achieve by stating all this?

To sound condescending?
To brag about having worked around celebrities? Me too, BTW. I'm sure there are hundreds of celebs around me in any given city.

This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.

Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.

But yea...in other news...water is wet -_- lol

I'll agree with you on the celebrity front -- I remember a comedian joking about the fact that if you put a tomato on TV for a while, and then later put that same tomato in a grocery store, people would go nuts for it.

But this is a bit different -- it's more like a tailgate party for iPhone fans. At least with an iPhone, it's something which has a tangible impact on one's daily life.

I was at the Apple Store in Hamburg Jungfernstieg earlier today. Arrived at about 6.45am to find probably 400-500 people lined up outside the store. Had to stand in queue more than 2 hours, but finally got my hands on a white 16GB version around 9am. Probably before those who preordered!

I'll agree with you on the celebrity front -- I remember a comedian joking about the fact that if you put a tomato on TV for a while, and then later put that same tomato in a grocery store, people would go nuts for it.

But this is a bit different -- it's more like a tailgate party for iPhone fans. At least with an iPhone, it's something which has a tangible impact on one's daily life.

No. It's not a tailgate party at all. Tailgates are quite social and loud. Folks in queues for iPhones are quite quiet. They are all giving last rites to their present phones. Surely, someone would hold your place in line. But the only raucous moments occur when an Apple employee comes out to count the crowd. Suddenly you hear the same question repeated 200 times - "How many left?" The din dies down after the inevitable I don't know.

I'll agree with you on the celebrity front -- I remember a comedian joking about the fact that if you put a tomato on TV for a while, and then later put that same tomato in a grocery store, people would go nuts for it.

I'll agree with you on the celebrity front -- I remember a comedian joking about the fact that if you put a tomato on TV for a while, and then later put that same tomato in a grocery store, people would go nuts for it.

But this is a bit different -- it's more like a tailgate party for iPhone fans. At least with an iPhone, it's something which has a tangible impact on one's daily life.

Yea I gathered that by the first person who quoted me...I didn't know it went down like that I just assumed people just stood in line for a product and acted all crazy. lol.

The way he described it sounded nice actually. I may have to camp out for the iPad 3 or something...to experience it at least once...

Yeah, I don't understand why anyone would wait on a line in the rain for hours to get a phone. I want one, but I'll wait until I can just walk in without waiting and obtain one.

On the one hand, such people have the patience to wait in line (I have absolutely no patience to wait on a line) but on the other, I have the patience to wait a few weeks so I don't have to.

But if I find myself in Manhattan at like two in the morning and there's no line, I just might stop in to get one, although if I remember the 3G launch correctly, when there was a shortage of phones, they only sold them during certain hours.

AI please stop publishing these terrible lies - the analysts said that the iPhone 4S announcement was dissapointing and that Android would soon take over. So this story is obvsouly just that - a story. Its all hype and propoganda created to fuel the myth that people actually WANT to buy an inferior product just because the media says "Apple is Cool" Clearly the Analysts are the only ones strong-willed enough to see through the Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field - and now that he has been struck down he has become more powerful than you shall ever know. So please just saves us all the time and trouble and get back to the reports where the analysts tell us how the world REALLY works so that we stop being duped.

Huh, what's that you say? turns out the analysts were wrong AGAIN, who'da thunk it?

Way to tell 'em, tough guy....

So the ample pre-order time, the estimated 1 million phones sold in the first 24 hours, and lines that are still forming (even in bad weather her win NY), aren't enough early data point for you to acknowledge there may be a smidge of interest in the 4S?

To sound condescending?
To brag about having worked around celebrities? Me too, BTW. I'm sure there are hundreds of celebs around me in any given city.

And, BTW, water is not always wet.

I didn't brag, I stated a fact. I was just saying that I am not a fanatic so I likely cannot understand the concept of the wait.

Congrats on also working with celebrities...wanna know what I did with them? I was a driver/assistant for an executive for RocaWear (aka his bitch) and periodically he'd need me to drive him to a meeting, wait in a car for hours, then drive him to a club with the people he met with (often celebrities or "models") and wait outside for hours then drive them all home.

It was hardly glamorous, and being that I didn't give a damn about the celebrities it feels like a giant waste of time in retrospect.

No. It's not a tailgate party at all. Tailgates are quite social and loud. Folks in queues for iPhones are quite quiet. They are all giving last rites to their present phones. Surely, someone would hold your place in line. But the only raucous moments occur when an Apple employee comes out to count the crowd. Suddenly you hear the same question repeated 200 times - "How many left?" The din dies down after the inevitable I don't know.

Depends on the crowd I guess. Maybe now that Apple products are more mass-market, the crowds have become boring (kinda like the celebrity follower crowds), but I remember a time when line-ups for Apple products were more like a geek circus. Plenty of creative ways to help everyone pass the time.

My wife and I and the kids went to Apple Store for the launch of Leopard. We all got free t-shirts and there was a lot of fun meeting other people and watching others at the mall wonder what kind of weird people we are. The Apple employees kept bringing water out and high fived and cheered us as they opened. Fun to do once. Waiting for UPS to bring me this one. (On the truck, out for delivery!)

When the iPad was launched my wife and I went to the nearest Apple reseller (we don't have an Apple store in Holland), and it was great.
The iPad wasn't on sale online, so it was the only way to get one.
But is was fun to experience and I didn't expect that.

Depends on the crowd I guess. Maybe now that Apple products are more mass-market, the crowds have become boring (kinda like the celebrity follower crowds), but I remember a time when line-ups for Apple products were more like a geek circus. Plenty of creative ways to help everyone pass the time.

I'm sure it's 100% crowd based. Does Apple do anything besides provide water, shirts, and cheer for these crowds? Apple could probably kill it by throwing a concert at select locales or something. Then again the crowds are so mixed when it comes to tastes that it may not go over well with all of them.

Sorry, dude. But you did, and you know it. At least you have redeemed yourself a little with this rebuttal.

Um, didn't say I worked with any. I said they were around me, because they are around everyone

I'm around all these Harlem "hustlas" and "rappers" all the time...They know bragging (annoying). I don't consider what I did bragging. If so I would've name dropped. I was just offering a rebuttal to my lack of fanaticism. It's just not in me.